Aluminum-Magnesium Plain
Carl Andre, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, September 29-November 22, 1970, no. 32, as part of 37 Pieces of Work.
Carl Andre, Saint Louis Art Museum, May 3-June 27, 1971, no. 32, as part of 37 Pieces of Work.
The Tremaine Collection: 20th Century Masters, the Spirit of Modernism, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT, February 26-April 29, 1984, unnumbered.
A Century of Modern Sculpture: The Nasher Collection at the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, April 5-May 31, 1987, unnumbered (no. 18 in exhibition brochure).
A Century of Sculpture: The Nasher Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, February 6-June 1, 1997, unnumbered.
Reason and Ritual, Parker-Grant Gallery, August 1997-February 1998, no cat.
Composed of two elemental materials in a grid, Aluminum-Magnesium Plain is a quintessentially Minimalist object. It is neither representative nor symbolic—it simply is what it is. Like many of Carl Andre’s works, Aluminum-Magnesium Plain is a floor piece. He denies the sculpture the privileged place of a pedestal and invites us to walk upon the tiles. In this way, the artist brings art low and humbles it.
The artist invites you to walk across this floor sculpture. Please do not touch the other works on view.
With Dwan Gallery, New York, as part of 37 Pieces of Work, 1969-at least 1971;
Returned to the artist, 1974 [1];
Purchased from the artist by John Weber Gallery, New York, by 1974;
Purchased from John Weber Gallery by Burton (1901-1991) and Emily (née Hall, 1908-1987) Tremaine, New York and Meriden, CT, 1974-1985 [2];
Purchased from Burton and Emily Tremaine by Raymond (1921-2007) and Patsy (née Rabinowitz, 1929-1988) Nasher , Dallas, TX, 1985-1991;
Purchased from Raymond Nasher by the Hall Family Foundation, Kansas City, MO, 1991-1999;
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1999.
NOTES:
[1] This sculpture was originally part of a much larger piece, 37 Pieces of Work. Following its exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1970, 37 Pieces of Work returned to the artist, he separated it into 36 smaller sculptures, including Aluminum-Magnesium Plain.
Diane Waldman, Carl Andre, exh. cat. (New York: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1970), 56, 75, (repro.), as part of 37 Pieces of Work.
Peter Schjeldahl, “High Priest of Minimal,” New York Times (October 18, 1970), (repro.), as part of 37 Pieces of Work.
“Carl Andre: Wood and Metal Sculpture 1960-1975,”Newsletter of the John Weber Gallery (1976), (repro.), as part of 17 Pieces of Work.
David Bourdon, Carl Andre: Sculpture, 1959-1977 (New York: Jaap Rietman, 1978), 56, (repro.), as part of 37 Pieces of Work.
Carl Andre: Sculpture, 1959-1978 (London: Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1978), 37, (repro.), as part of 37 Pieces of Work.
The Tremaine Collection: 20th Century Masters, the Spirit of Modernism (Hartford, CT: Wadsworth Atheneum, 1984), 132.
Steven A. Nash, ed., A Century of Modern Sculpture: The Patsy and Raymond Nasher Collection (New York: Rizzoli, 1987), 97, 133, (repro.).
Robert W. Butler, “Nelson has new sculptures — and a grander vision,” The Kansas City Star (June 23, 1991), A1, A-19.
Scott Cantrell, “Five New Pieces in Many Styles,” The Kansas City Star (June 23, 1991), I-1, (repro.).
Roger Ward and Patricia J. Fidler, eds., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, in association with Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 257, (repro.).
A Century of Sculpture: The Nasher Collection , exh. cat. (New York: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 1996), 258-259, (repro.).
Holland Cotter, “Rising Spiral of Modernism,” New York Times (February 14, 1997), B-31.
Erika Doss, Twentieth-Century American Art (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002), 166, (repro.).
Century of Sculpture: The Nasher Collection (Dallas, TX: The Nasher Foundation, 2003), 258-259, (repro.).
Alistair Rider, Carl Andre: Things in their elements (London, UK: Phaidon Press, 2011), 79, 98, (repro.), as part of 37 Pieces of Work.
Diane Waldman, Carl Andre (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 2014), 56, (repro.).
Carl Andre: Sculpture as Place, 1958-2010, exh. cat. (New York: Dia Art Foundation, 2014), 38-39.
